Dysbiosis refers to an imbalance in the microbiome – the trillions of bacteria that live in and on our bodies. SIBO is one of the commonest forms of dysbiosis.
Our ancestors had a symbiotic relationship with their microbes that evolved over millions of years. They were hosts to a dense jungle of microscopic creatures, including worms and other parasites that contributed to their health. Large predators and the absence of food were their main threats, not the hundreds of diseases that afflict us today. The irony is that as we’ve “unwilded” our bodies and our environment in an effort to become healthier, we’ve actually become a lot sicker in some important ways.
Urbanization and modern medicine have clearly improved our lives, but they’ve also introduced practices—overuse of antibiotics, chlorination of the water supply, processed foods full of chemicals and hormones, microbe-depleting pesticides, increasing rates of Cesarean sections—that have ravaged our microbiome, diminishing the total number of organisms as well as the diversity of species, both important markers of good health. The result has been an increase in a wide range of “modern plagues” like asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, heart disease, and of course, SIBO. The rise in conditions like SIBO is related to the full-on assault on our microbiome resulting from our super-sanitized lifestyle.
Conventional approaches to SIBO typically involve quick fixes like antibiotics or multiple supplements – neither of which provide lasting relief. You can’t solve a problem caused by depopulation of essential species by using antibiotics that remove even more of your gut bacteria, or by adding in remedies that don’t address the root cause. Meaningful repopulation, not eradication, is the key to resolving SIBO. Dr Chutkan has been successfully helping patients in her practice recover and heal from SIBO by utilizing a three-pronged holistic approach: REMOVING medications, foods, and practices that are harmful to microbes; REPLACING essential gut bacteria through exposure to soil microbes and prescription strength probiotics when appropriate; and RESTORING balance in the microbiome by adding in important prebiotic high-fiber foods. She’s delighted to share this safe, effective, microbe-boosting approach that can help you find lasting relief from SIBO.